Blessed Margaret of Castello:

Feast day : 13 April

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Blessed Margaret of Castello who lived during the period 1287 to 1320. She was a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. She was born unusually small, hunchbacked, facially deformed, her right leg was shorter than her left leg and she was blind. Margaret’s parents received her with contempt into their lives and kept her hidden from the world for 14 years! But she used this time to get closer to God. At the age of 14, her parents took her to the shrine in Castello, hoping for a miracle. But when their hopes failed, they cruelly abandoned her on the streets. But God’s grace was in abundance on this special instrument of His. Her mystical life began from thereon. Countless miracles, both during her lifetime and after her death have come to be through her intercession. Her incorrupt body is kept at the Church of St. Domenico at Citta-di-Castello. She was beatified by Pope Paul V on October 19, 1609

Early life:

Margaret of Castello also called Margaret of Metola was born in the year 1287 to a noble family of Parisio and his wife Emilia in Metola. Her parents were expecting to have a healthy son born to them. But the child born to them was a deformed girl. She was unusually small, hunchbacked, facially deformed, her right leg was shorter than her left leg and she was blind! Margaret’s parents received her with contempt into their lives. They kept the child hidden from friends and relatives. When she was six years old her father walled her up in a cell next to a chapel hidden in the forest. Her years of confinement in the forest left her enough time to converse with God and the priest in the chapel next to her walled cell became her tutor. He gave her lessons in faith. After fourteen years in confinement, her parents took her to a shrine in Citta-di-Castello hoping for a miraculous cure. However, their prayers were unanswered and they cruelly abandoned her in the city and left for their home.

New life:

She was left to roam the streets and beg for a living. But God’s grace was in abundance on this special instrument of His. The true purpose of her life was soon to unfold. She became a member of the Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic. The day she joined the Order she miraculously ‘knew’ all the 150 Psalms and confessed that they just came to her! She once made a profound influence on a group of prisoners when she was elevated some 20 inches off the ground in ecstatic prayer and her poor face was transformed in beauty. This was just the beginning of her mystical life.

She is credited to have brought a dead man and two dead children back to life. A little boy fell into the river and was drowned. When the body was recovered, the heartbroken mother prayed to Margaret and her child came back to life. Another child fell from a high balcony to the street below and was killed. Through Margaret’s intercession he was brought back to life. In another instance a man was killed by bears. His family brought his horribly mangled body to Margaret and implored her to plead to God for restoring his life. Miraculously, the man came back to life! These are only a few among the astounding long list of miracles attributed to her during her holy life on earth.

Death and miracles:

When she died at the age of 33 on April 13, 1320, her followers insisted she was a saint and should be buried in the Church. But the priest felt it was premature to decide on her sainthood. As they were discussing this, a girl, crippled, mute and with a curvature of spine, who had never been able to walk since birth was brought by her parents to the Church. As the Church authorities and the public were engaged in the funeral discussion, this family prayed fervently to Margaret to heal their child. Suddenly, the crowd there saw the left arm of Margaret rising from her side!! The arm reached over and touched the young crippled girl beside the bier. At that very moment the girl rose to her feet unaided and screamed “I have been cured through Margaret!” She had never spoken or walked since birth and there was great pandemonium in the Church with people’s shouts of joy. The Church authorities needed no further proof of her holiness and her body was buried in the Church vault. From that day on, there were hundreds of miracles that were attributed to the intercession of Margaret.

Incorrupt body & Beatification:

In the 16th century, her body was exhumed. Although her coffin and clothes had all rotted away, her body was intact as though she had just died. On examining her body, it was discovered that she was a dwarf and had all the deformities that were often spoken about her. The physicians who examined the body confirmed that no chemicals were used to preserve it. Her heart was examined and found to be perfectly preserved. When an incision was made in the heart, there rolled out three little pearl like pellets; one bore an image of a baby in a manger surrounded by animals, one showed a woman wearing a crown and the third had two pictures – an old man before whom knelt a girl in the Dominican habit and a dove. This strange discovery can be related to her deep devotion to the Incarnation and Birth of Our Lord about which she often would exclaim “Oh if you only knew what I carry in my heart, you would marvel!” She literally carried her objects of love in her heart!

She was beatified on October 19, 1609 by Pope Paul V. Many miracles continue to be reported with her intercession. Today after almost 700 years since her death, her incorrupt body clothed in a Domincan habit lies under the high altar of the Church of St. Domenico at Citta-di-Castello, Italy. The arms of the body are still flexible, the eyelashes are present and the nails are in place on the hands and feet.

This life that appeared abominable to her parents and worthy of being abandoned was so loved by God both during her life on earth and now in Heaven where she continues to be a instrument of showing God’s love to His children on earth and gently reminding us to love all of God’s creation because every creation of His has a purpose.